NEW Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter doesn't want to harness the attacking prowess of his ball-players but has asked them to be conscious of the match situation throughout this year.

Potter will get his first real look at his troops when they take on Parramatta in a pre-season trial in Campbelltown on Saturday night.

But for Potter, it's not a matter of looking out for how individuals perform - he has all but settled on his side for round one.

The former Bradford coach is interested to see how his side handles different scenarios in the match, admitting he wanted the Tigers to play with more respect for the context of each game.

The Tigers have long been considered the entertainers of the competition and, while Potter doesn't want to turn his side into robots, has encouraged his side to find a balance.

''I want them to understand the situation in a set of six and do things at the right time in the game,'' he said. ''I don't want them being confused about winning the game in the second minute of the match. I want them to accumulate points and earn the right to score more points.''

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The Tigers, who started last year as pre-season premiership favourites, finished the season in 10th position.

But it wasn't their placing that concerns Potter - it was the fact they conceded 551 points (23 points per game), the 12th worst defensive record in the competition.

He knows his side won't have any trouble scoring points, especially with Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah in the side, but sometimes their eagerness to post points has brought about their downfall.

And while Potter's determined to add some steel to their defence and add some restraint in attack, he doesn't want his star players to lose their natural flair with the ball.

''I looked at the for-and-against from last year and it was slightly tilted the wrong way,'' he said. ''Scoring points is no problem with the people we have in attack, we just have to know the best times to do things. I don't want to harness that talent, but we need to reduce the points scored against us. I want them to find that balance for the team.''

Meanwhile, North Queensland have secured the services of co-captain Matt Scott until the end of the 2017 season.

Scott rejected interest from Parramatta to remain with the Cowboys, who now turn their attention to halfback Johnathan Thurston. He is likely to become the highest-paid player in the game once he finalises his contract, regardless of where he chooses to finish out his career.